<p>My daughter got accepted to Rowan's Chemical engineering program and Lehigh for the same. Rowan is ranked 3rd in nation by us news for schools where a doctorate is not offered. The decision will come down to money. We can afford Rowan out of pocket but would have to borrow at least 120,000.00 for Lehigh. Is reputation worth the cost of sending her to Lehigh? By the way the decision to apply to Lehigh was size and reputation.</p>
<p>Rowan Chem E degree > Lehigh Chem E degree + $120k debt, IMO.</p>
<p>$120,000 debt vs no debt? Wow. Even if Lehigh is better, how long would it take to pay that off? I don’t want to start off with so much debt that I can’t afford a home or new car. My parents want to retire not too long after I finish college, so they can’t afford that kind of debt. I know a Rowan grad who was hired by a major company who also paid for a masters - I think from Penn. No debt from Rowan, a good job & a free masters… definitely better than a huge debt.</p>